Many women have not heard of implantation bleeding and instead interpret it as a sign of a light period or old blood loss. But in fact, implantation bleeding is relatively common – up to 30%of pregnant women will experience some degree of bleeding in their pregnancy. Most progress to having a healthy baby nine months later.
It normally occurs at around the same time as the period is due, around 6-12 days after conception. Implantation bleeding does not last very long, generally no more than 24-48 hours.
An implantation bleed occurs even before the pregnancy has been confirmed. Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin hormone (hCG) is the hormone which is detected in the pregnant mother’s urine. This is not produced until after the embryo has embedded in the uterus and there has been some very early development of the placenta. Which is why an implantation bleed occurs too early for even the most perceptive of couples to know with any certainty that they have created a baby.
One of the symptoms of pregnancy can be having vaginal bleeding which is considered lighter than normal. An implantation bleed can certainly be mistaken for a period and many times it’s only with the benefit of hindsight that a woman reflects back on what she thought was an early period, but in fact, was really an implantation bleed.
Nothing really. Unless you have pain as well, or the bleeding is continuous and heavy, there really is nothing which you can do. If you have already had your pregnancy confirmed and it has been longer than two weeks since fertilisation, then an implantation bleed is unlikely.
An implantation bleed is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be a sign that fertilisation has occurred and the pregnancy is progressing as it needs to. But of course, when it happens you won’t know you’re pregnant, it’s too early to say. Some women believe that breast tenderness, nausea and other early pregnancy symptoms are also present at around the time of implantation bleeding. But this is unlikely. It is too early for the hormones which cause these symptoms to have been released by the placenta.
But the mind works in mysterious ways and some women actually “know” they are pregnant and feel very different from the moment of conception. Who is anyone else to know better?
Sit tight and don’t become anxious. Just monitor the amount that you bleed and seek the advice of your health care professional if you experience any pain, heavy bleeding, or other symptoms. For the majority of women, implantation bleeding settles and stops within a day or two, not to return. It is unlikely to be to such a degree that you need to wear a pad, but for comfort’s sake many women find they prefer to use a panty liner just to be on the safe side.
If considered necessary by a health care professional, it is possible to have an ultrasound to determine if the pregnancy sac and foetus are developing as they need to. This can provide immediate reassurance that the bleeding was due to the embryo implanting, rather than indicating a miscarriage.